The present invention relates generally to accessories for dance costumes, and, more particularly, to removable shoe covers for dance shoes.
Dance is one of the most popular recreational activities engaged in by contemporary Americans of all ages, genders, and races. Dance in America runs the gamut from hip hop and country and western line dancing to elegant ballroom and retro '70's disco dancing. In addition, throughout the country, professional dance troupes and ballet companies flourish by their affiliation with schools, colleges and universities, cities, and regional arts councils. As recreation or as a competitive sport, dance uses the fundamentals of human movement to create an art form which is vivid, entertaining, and visually appealing.
Competitive dance is not only a sport; in recent decades it has also become a sizable and profitable business. Concomitant with the increase in sheer athleticism and technical skill and difficulty incorporated into the dance routines has been an increase in the cost, complexity, and ornateness of the costumes and sets. This is especially the case for individual dancers and dance troupes that enter dance competitions. In addition to the above-cited dance styles and forms, tap dancing still maintains its popularity throughout the country, and tap dance competitions are held nationwide.
Like a number of other competitive activies, one unpleasant drawback of dance--and especially of competitive dance--is the cost of outfitting the dancer, whether male or female. The artistry and imagination of contemporary dance costumes derives inspiration from the classics as well as from the vehicles of popular culture--television, movies, and music. Since each dance competition may have its own theme, in the course of a year, a competitive dancer may require anywhere from several to several dozen unique costumes. Dance costumes can range anywhere from $30.00 to $100.00 with the average being about $50.00. The cost of dance shoes may range between $15.00 and $100.00 while good quality tap shoes cost between $40.00 and $60.00. The larger clog-type tap shoes may cost up to $300.00. In addition, the cost of accessory items, such as jewelry, must also be added to the overall expense of outfitting a dancer.
There is a need to find ways to save money so that each costume, along with shoes and other accessory items, does not require a new outlay of money. Since the style, color, and design of the dance shoes, including tap dance shoes, are coordinated with the particular costume worn by the dancer, one way to reduce costume expenses is by providing a means whereby one pair of shoes can be used with a number of different costumes. The dance shoes would not be altered, but their external appearance would be changed by means of an accessory item, embodied in a variety of designs, that could be easily and quickly placed onto and over the dance shoes to harmonize the dance shoes with that respective costume. The same dance shoes could be used with a different costume; the external appearance would be harmonized with the new costume by use of an accessory item designed for the new costume.
The prior art discloses a number of items that fit onto or over shoes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,717 (Bell), U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,509 (Libit), U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,707 (Pedersen), U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,385 (Halford), and U.S. Design Pat. No. 290,540 (Anderson) all disclose over-shoe-type devices which are placed on or worn over shoes. U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,080 (Flanagan Jr. et al.) discloses a suede covering which can be snapped onto the saddle portion of a shoe. None of the above patents, however, disclose an accessory item which can be placed onto dance shoes, and quickly removed therefrom so that one pair of dance shoes can be adapted to harmonize with a variety of different dance costumes.